Projectile



(No Model.)

D. B. WESSON.

PROJEGTILE.

No. 499,487. Pat ented June 13, 1893.

DANIEL l \VESSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, lVlASSACllUSET'lS.

PROJECTiLE.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 499,487, dated June 13,1893.

Application filed January 19, 1891. Serial No. 378,249- (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL B. WEssoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of IIampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Projectiles,of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to projectiles for small arms, pistols, &c., theobject being to provide improved projectiles for the abovementioned usesin respect to means forlubrieating the same whereby the movement of theprojectiles through the barrels of firearms is attended with the leastfrictional resistance, and injury to the interior of said barrels by themovementof projectiles therethrough so lubricated is wholly prevented.

' In' the drawings forming part of this speci fication, Figures 1 and 2are side elevations,

partly in section, and transverse sections on lines :v, w, ofcartridges. having therein pro-' jectiles constructed according 'to myinventron, and Figs. 5 and, 6 are sectional views of projectiles only,embodying my improvements. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, in

perspective, and Fig. 4 a perspective view, of a cap fitting into thepart shown in Fig. 3, all as fully described below.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the projectileconstruction shown and described in my Patent No. 440,672, datedNovember 18, 1890, to which reference may be had. My said patentdescribes a projectile for guns and pistols havinga reservoir for alubricant in its rear portion, and one or more ducts leading from saidreservoir to the outer surface of the projectile and opening nearthe-front of that part of the same which has a bearing on the walls ofthe gun whereby pressure on the rear offthe projectile may expel thelubricant during the passage of the projectile along the gun-barrel.

The essential object of the improvements within described is, to providemeans for suitably strengthening a projectile (and particularly so whenthe sameshall he made of lead or similar soft metal) which is chamberedas aforesaid to receive in itsinterior a lubricatingmaterial. Thedesirability of so strengthening said projectiles is rendered obviousby.

choose in small arms which is'becoming frequent,-of explosive materialsof high powerin place of the ordinary gunpowder heretofore employed forfiring said arins. The said orplosive materials referred to consistofvarious kinds of so called smokeless powder which are understood-to becomposed mainly of substances like, or similar to gun cotton andnitroglycerine which explode in cartridges with great force, and in sodoing act against a soft metal surface like that of a lead bullet tocause more or less of a deformity therein which injures the accuracy'ot'its flight, and the improvements herein described prevent any suchinjury to the said lubricant-carrying projectile from the extraordinaryforcible action of said explosives.

In the drawings,.2 indicates a cartridge shell, and 3 the bullet orprojectile. 4 indicates a cup of cylindrical or similar form,

made from copper, brass, or similar hard and said bul'let or projectile3, as and for thepurpose aforesaid,'I provide a sheet metal lining forits lubricant chamber, or reservoir, which consists of the said cup 4,which covers the walls thereof and with or. without a flange 5, on itsrear end. The said cup is adapted to such form of lubricant chamber asit may be desirable to employ, there being shown in Figs. 1, 5' and 6,three different forms of such,

chamber,-the chamber having the greatest diameter being moreparticularly adapted to projectiles of large caliber, and those having asmaller diameter to projectiles of greater length, or smaller caliber,or both, as may seem most desirable. ingcup 4 is adapted to fit thelubricant chamber in the projectile, substantially as shown in thedrawings, the flange 5, thereof having a bearing against the rear end ofthe projectile, as shown, whereby said lining cup is moresurely'prevented from any endwise movement in the projectile which maybe caused by the force of the firing charge thereagainst, whereby saidlining may be driven more or less into the bullet. Through the in- Thesaid chamber-lire IOO her end of said lining cup 4,0ne or moreperforations 6, are made which communicate with oneor more lubricantducts 0,'which communicate with the surface of the projectile, as shown.ranged to communicate directly with the interior of the said lining cup4, or there may .be made, as shown in Figs.'1 and 2, a duct leading fromthe inner end of said lining cup, indicated in said figures by c,withwhich the said ducts 0, communicate. The projectile having beenconstructed as described with said lubricant-chamber lining, it isprepared for firing by placing in said lubricant chamber e, any suitablelubricating material a, as indicated in Figs. '1 and 2, and preferably,when the projectile is charged with said lubricant the latter is made tofill the lubricant ducts 0, whichfcommunicate wit-h the surface of theprojectile in order that the force of a firing charge against theprojectile'shall result in an immediate discharge of the lubricantagainst the walls of the barrel of the fire-arnrin which the projectileis used.

The lubricant-charged projectile may be used without the cap 7, asillustrated in Fig. l, or with said cap as illustrated in Fig. 2. It

:is preferable, however, that projectiles which are so' charged with alubricant and stored to be fired at some future time, should containsaid cap 7, which serves to retain the lubricant in serviceablecondition in the projectile, but projectiles intended for immediate usemay be fired without said cap thereby allowing the force'of the chargeto act directly against the lubricant itself to throw it from saidchamber through the ducts 0' against the surface of the barrel wherebythorough lubrication of the surface of the-same is offected. Said cap,under the force of the firing charge, moves like a piston against thelubricant to force it out of the projectile, as aforesaid. I

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, in which said projectile is shown in acartridge-shell, 8 in- The said ducts 0,.may be ar-- powder with whichthe cartridge is charged.

The above-described metal lined projectile, which lining consists of ametal harder and stronger-than that of which the project ile is made, ispreferably constructed by casting the projectile with a chamber within1t of suitable form to receive the lining cup which is toobe usedtherewith, or the bullet may be cast onto the lining cup, or the liningcup may be placed on a bullet-swaging plunger, thus fixing the liningwhen the bullet is formed What I claim as my invention is' 1. A s0ftmetal projectile having a'chamber' therein, said chamb r having a liningof a hard, strong metal, an having a duct leading from the chamber tothe exterior of the projectile.

2i projectile having therein a chamber for a lubricant, a metalliclining constituting a covering for the walls of said chamber having aflange around its open end bearing.

jectile, and a movable cap covering the baseof said chamber,substantially as described. t. A soft metal projectile having therein a,dicates the above referred to explosive or gungun, sub-.

chamber, a hard metal lining to said chamber, a passage leading fromsaid chamber to the exterior of the projectile, a body of lubricantinclosed within the chamber, and a covering for the base of saidchamber, all substantially as described. r

DANIEL B. WESSON.

WVit-nesses:

II. A.'GHAPIN, J. K. DAVIDSON.

